It is known to use scraping style cleaners for a conveyor belt to remove debris and other materials from the belt. Such belts function in different capacities depending on their relative belt positions. Those belt cleaners positioned along the forward most belt head pulley are called primary belt cleaners. They are the first in line, meant to remove most of the “carry back” from the belt proper and are considered the most efficient means for effecting conveyor belt cleaning. Dual primary belt cleaners have been conceived and installed for some belt cleaning applications.
Further along the conveyor proper, past the belt head pulley, additional (or supplemental) belt cleaning can be accomplished with secondary cleaning systems. Such systems employ one or more metal blade components for removing additional carry back from the conveyor belt return, typically on the underside of same. It is also known to employ additional (tertiary) belt cleaners, belt wipers and/or other belt scraper devices as conditions may require.
For most secondary belt cleaner applications, it is critical that the blade components be held, in tension, against the moving conveyor for properly and effectively cleaning same. Numerous tensioner systems have been developed for applying a continuous, spring-like pressure (or tension) of the blades against the belt being cleaned. While most secondary cleaning systems today include an array of metal blades, the metal components of same are usually buffered by, or cushioned in a resilient, blade-holding base of rubber or other material for lessening rigid impact with the belt. Secondary cleaning systems may supplement the cleaning from one or more primary systems. But none of these systems should be so stiff as to risk damaging the belts they are meant to clean “near continuously”.
In many situations, the means for holding a secondary system firmly against the conveyor need not be overly sophisticated. Some elaborate tensioner devices are mechanically complex, costly to install, maintain and replace, and vulnerable to attack from the elements.
Accordingly, there is a need for a secondary conveyor belt cleaner that is better optimized for cleaning efficiency and cleaning blade wear resistance while not requiring complex cleaner mounting mechanicals. Further, a less sophisticated mounting means should apply proper blade cleaning pressures to the belt it is installed against, but without elaborate, springs and other tensioning systems. Such a simpler, yet still efficient mounting system should be capable of installation from multiple directions, for push-up or pull-up mounting. It would be beneficial if a simple secondary belt mounting means was conceived which could be readily adjusted from at or near the outer edges, rather than the more tedious, inside adjustments required by other secondary belt mechanisms. Preferably, this mounting system is used in conjunction with a rectangular (rather than circular) cleaning blade frame with multiple blade mounting crossbar members extending upwardly from one side of same.